Abstract:

The changes of total bacterial count as well as the counts of Brochothrix thermosphacta, lactic acid bacteria and Pseudomonas in Chinese spiced beef samples unpackaged and packaged in vacuum, oxygen-free, low-oxygen or high-oxygen environments were measured during storage at 5 ℃. Meanwhile, primary prediction models for total bacterial count in unpackaged beef samples were constructed. The growth of spoilage bacteria in spiced beef during 5 ℃ storage was effectively inhibited by low-oxygen packaging (35% O2 + 55% CO2 + 10% N2). The comparison between the linear and the modified Gompertz prediction models revealed that the determination coefficient R2 of the latter exceeded 0.98 and had higher reliability.

Key words: Chinese spiced beef, modified atmosphere packaging, spoilage microorganisms, predictive model